Fluid method and apparatus for controlling and removing material from hoppers



Nov. 3, 1925. 1,560,361

F. B. ALLEN FLUID METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLINQ 'AND REMOVING MATERIAL FROM HOPPERS Filed Dec. 31, 1923 3 Sheets-Shu'. .L

ATTOR N EYS.

Sw qw Nov. 3, 1925. 1560361v B. ALLEN FLUID METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND REMOVING MATERIAL FROM HOPPERS Filed Dec. 31, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2y l/ v I lNVENTOR '2 9 6, am 5 BY @E MMG/Mi ATTORNEY Nov. 3,1925. 1,560,361

, F. B. ALLEN FLUID METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND REMOVING MATERIAL FROM HOPPERS l Filed Dec. 51, 1925 3 Sheets-Shoot 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

FRANK B. ALLEN, F CYNWYD,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE T0 FRANK H. D'UNBAR.'

PATENT -\oFFicE.

ASSIGNMENTS,

FLUID METHOD AND APPARATUS Foa coINTRoLLING AND REMovING MATERIAL Faoin normas. Y

Application led December 31, 1923- Serial No. 683,293

To all whoml t may concern:

Be it known that I,y FRANK B. T'XLLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cynwyd, in the county of Montgomery and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid Methods and Apparatus for Controlling and Removing Material from Hoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hopper construction, particularly hoppers provided with Huid means for removing materials therefrom. It likewise relates to a. new and improved method for controllably removing material from hoppers by fluid means.

An object of the invention .1s to construct a hopper having an opening in the bottom part thereof and means for controlling the passage 0f material through the said opening and through a trough suspended beneath the hopper in a substantially horizontal oi' slightly inclined position.

Another object/is to construct a substantiallyJ horizontally arranged apparatus for hoppers having openings in the bottom portionthereof which is adapted to remove ma.- terials from the hoppers in a controllable manner.

A further ob'ect is to construct a hopper having suspen ed therealong a trough to through the hopper receive material passing and having hydraulic means for forci A removing material from the trough.

A further object is ,toconstruct a plurality of hoppers, each having an opening in the lower portion'thereof and all having a. common enclosed trough terminating in a liquid seal and equipped with `hydraulic means for forcibly ejecting material pass- 40 ing thereinto from any of the said hoppers.

A further object of my invention is to devise a new and improved method of periodically and controllably removing material from hoppers having` openingsin the lower portion thereof by fluid means.

Other objects will be -pointed out hereinafter.

My invention, although applicable to ho -A l. pers having a variety of uses, is particularly important in connection vwith ash hoppers ofthe type at present employed in large power plants where tremendous quantities from the hopper into the cars and then wheeled away. My improvedapparatus and method enables me not only to control the removal of material from the hoppers but in the case of ash hoppers completely to remove in a. comparatively short period of time substantially all of the contents of a' hopper which may represent the accumulation of a days run of lire under a boiler. For example, in about-an hour the accumulated ashes of twenty-four hours can be removed without affecting the fire dui-ing the time of. such removal. y

Referring to the drawings in which. I have illustrated one embodiment of my inf vention and which 'forms Iication, v.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a plurality of hoppers constructed in accordance with my invention and including a. common sluice tro-ugh, a pit to receive material from the trough and meansfor removing the same therefrom. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken -on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3. is a side elevation, partly in ver'- tioal section, of one of the hoppers shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to the -sectional art construction.

,Fig 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the sluice trough and transporting nozzles shown .in Fig. 2.

j Figs.I 6 and 7 are respectively top plan f and, cross sectional views of one of the transporting nozzles shown in Figs. `2 and 5.

a part of this specido v Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically an alternative form of material receiving pit,

Fig. 9 shows diagrammatically the application of my invention to a modified form of construction.

Fig. 1 illustrates in side elevation a plurality of hoppers l suspended from a boiler room floor 2 and having a common sluice trough 3 suspended therebeneath which terminates in a downwardly extending end pipe 4, the lower end of which dips below the surface of the liquid in a pit 5. The trough 3 is thereby liquid sealed at its discharge end and material passing downwardly through trough 3 and pipe 4 will be discharged into the liquid in the pit 5 from which it may subsequently, and as desired, be removed as by means of an ordinary grab bucket G. This bucket is shown in this figure as suspended by tackle blocks 7 from an overhead runway or track 8 and it will be understood that when the bucket G has been filled with solid material, the bucket may be transported along the track 8 to the point of discharge. of the solid material.

An .alternative construction is shown in Fig. 8 where 5a designates a water pit into which trough 3 empties as at 41, a box with perforated sides or a screen 4" being positioned to receive all material, solid as well as liquid passing into pit 5 from trough 4u. Large particles of solid material as pieces of refractory or clinkers will be retained in this box while smaller pieces will pass into the pit 5 from which they may be 4pumped lto a pointof disposal as by pump 4C.

Hoppers 1 may be formed by different types of construction but as herein shown they consist of upright bars 9 to which are secured plates 10 provided on their inner surfaces. with upwardly inclined flanges 11 between and upon which refractory lining units 12 are carried. It will be understood i that the hoppers 1 are shown as being distrough thebottom wall 14 of the hopper.

posed beneath the rear or discharge end of a suitable fuel burning device, for example, a mechanical stoker and that the ashes discharged from such device or stoker may pass between grates or Crushers 13 .and thence into the hoppers; In the lower end of each of the hoppers 1, I provide a bottom wall 14 Iwhich may be composed of metal plates suitably joined together, the bottom wall of each hopper having one and preferably more openings 15 therethrough for permitting the passage of ashes or other material from the hopper. Suspended below the hoppers I provide a trough 3 having U or V shaped bottom and upright side walls which may be attachedto the bottom wall or the sides ofthe hopper 1. As shown in Fig. 2 the 3 is formed by spaced upright bars 17 to which are secured plates 18 forming the walls -of the trough. By referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 it will be noted that the top of trough 3 beneath hopper l is formed by When two or more hoppers have a common trou h 3 as shown in Fig. 1 the trough between t e adjacent hopper ends is preferably covered by a top, for example, similar to the wall 14 of the hoppers so that the trough is substantially air tight from the liquid seal and to the remote and closed end thereof and air in quantities harmful to the fire is thereby prevented from passing' through the trough and hoppers into contact with the fire bed. Y Y

By referring to Fig. l it will be observed that trough 3 is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane from end to end and this is preferably the case even when a plurality of hoppers are ser\ed by a common trough. However, my invention also contemplates a departure from the horizontal, in other words such inclination of the sluice trough as will not require hydraulic force other than the flow of water due to gravity to move hopper material therealong.

To prevent the continuous discharge of ashes as the fuel burns or the sudden discharge of accumulated ashes or other ma'- terial through the openings in the bottom portion of the hoppers, I provide an inclined plate located below and extending beyond each hopper opening a distance greater than the angle of repose of the ashes or other material. The means for accomplishing this purpose illustrated herein comprises a plate or door 19 of greater area than the corresponding opening 15, secured at one end adjacent to one side of opening 15 and inclined downwardly therefrom terminating at a point some of the opening 15. B this inclination of plate 19 materials falling through opening l5 Will tend to lodge on the plate antl quickly build up thereon, substantially as shown on Fig. 3 where 19HL indicates the angle of repose of the ashes, until the opening 15 is filled. No further discharge through the opening will take place until the material on the plate 19 has been removed.

Plate 19 which comprises a part of the bottom wall of the hopper may be formed by a'metal casting, such as cast iron, but I prefer .to provide a recess 20 on the top surface thereof in which a refractory lining 21 may be placed. Supporting means for the lower end of plate 19 may take the form of a bar 22 extending transversely of and secured to the opposite sides ofthe trough 3.

A modified form of mea-ns for suspending plate 19- beneath opening 15 is shown in Fig. 4 where a pair of oppositely disposed arms 23 are pivoted on a shaft 23a extending across the trough 3 and between which a rod 24 is carried. This rod 24 may be placed in any one of the holes 25 in arms 23 and the lower end of plate 419 supported on the rod 24 in the various positions, it being distance beyond the farther side i understood that the plate 19 .may be pivoted at its upper end to permitsuch adjustment. Under certain conditions it may be desirable to stop the flow of material through the opening as promptly after the hopper has been emptied as is possible. I have provided for this purpose a plate 26 pivoted on rod 231 and which may be counterweighted on the outside of trough 3 for easy movability. ,When material is to be discharged from the hopper this plate 26 may be swung up into the dotted line position shown in Fig. .4 and when all such material has been moved, it may be swung d wn into the position shown in full line inqthis figure where it will act as an effective stop against the passage of material through the hopper l and along the top of plate 19. It will be understood that the position of plate 19 also helps to regulate the length of time l`ela sing after the hopper has been emptied an Ibefore the accumulated solids fill the opening 1,5. For example, when plate 19 is adjusted to a position more nearly horizontal than shown in-Fig. 4 the time required for opening-15 to be lilled is correspondingly shortened.

'-To remove material from hopper 1, I pro- -.J vide fluid means preferably of various types eachl suited for the particular work which it is to perform. In the simple form illustrated I employ water jets located in ,different horizontal planes but so disposed as to operate in conjunction in removing mate-v rial from a hopper and trough. At the upper end of plate 19, I provide a transversely extending water'pipe 27 having nozzles or outlets 28 extending therefrom and directed downwardly to discharge water from the pipe 27 substantially parallel with and on top of plate 19. As many of these nozzles 28 may be employed as are necessary or desired. For convenience in description I have called nozzles 28primary or feed nozzles or jets.

jThe pipe 27 is connected with a source of Water supply (not shown) under a considerable pressure. For ashes I have found that a gauge pressure in the water pipes of about 100 pounds is' sufficient for satisfac- 'tor results.

or near the bottom of-trou-gh 3 I provide a water pipe 29 having one or more Ibranches 29'leading into the bottom of the trough each terminating in a nozzle 30 the outlet from .which is preferably long and narrow and arranged to discharge liquid therefrom substantially parallel and close to the vbottomfwalls of the trough.' 'I have called nozzles 30 transporting, booster or Y secondary nozzles or jets. A source of water supply (not shown)d is connected to :pipe 29 so that liquid, and usually water,` under, about 75 to 150 pounds per square inchin the case of ash hoppers may be forced through the nozzles 30. Fluid discharged from these nozzles or jets forms a sheet or carpet on the bottom Walls of the trough which travels at a relatively high velocity, for example, from about. to about 100 feet per second. This thin sheet may be likened to a fluid conveyor ontoA which solid material may be delivered and by which it may be rapidly carried away. The gauge pressure in the trough is maintained at approximately atmospheric pressure at ally times. The trough is normally empty, and is never full event-when fluid and solid material .are being discharged thereinto since such materials are conducted away by the fluid conveyor as rapidly as the-n enter the trough.

From the foregoing description of the construction of a hopper embodying my invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that ashes discharged 'from a stolrer into the hopper 1 will pass through the bottom openings 15 land lodges'on the inclined plates 19. As the material col' lects on the plate 19 it gradually builds up through the openings 15 into the hopper itself. When the hopper has become filled or when it is desirable to remove the material from the hopper, water under pressure is released into pipe 27 and discharged from the prnnary or feed nozzles 28 to wash the accumulated material from the top surface of plates 19 or to feed it in a thin `i watery stream down into the trough 3. Water under pressure is released into pipe 29 and discharged through branches 29a and transporting nozzles 30 into the hopper with sulicient force, to wash the material flowing from the plate 19 for the full length of the sluice trough 3 finally discharging it into the pit 5 through pipe 4. By suitably varying the pressure on the water supplied to the pipe 29 several hoppers may be` emptied successively or .at the same time by a sin le pipe' 29, buty in certain cases it may be, e-v

sirable to have more than one set of pipes 29 and such additional pipes may be disposed along 'the length of the trough 3 asmaybe found most suit-able for complete and expeditious removal of the material from the hopper. It will be observed that no opening hasbee'n. made in the trough nozzles and the thin watery form in which a major portion of the material from the hopper is fed into the trough and onto the moving fiuid conveyor by feed nozzles 28, the trough 3 may be constructed along a plane substantially horizontal or slightly inclined from end to end thereby economizing in head room as contrasted with similar installations where the trough is inclined sufficiently to enable water flowing therein yunder the force of gravity to carry away the material from the hoppers'.

By means of my improved method and apparatus it is possible to empty from an ash hopper the ash accumulation .of approximately 24 hours 'within less than one hour. It will thus be seen that by my method and apparatus I am able to remove the material from the lioppers periodically and that when so removed it is carried along in a swiftly moving stream depending upon water pressure as contrasted withthe force of gravity. Y Fig. 9 illustrates diagrammatically the arrangement of parts in a modified form of apparatus embodying my invention. The

hopper is indicated by 40. Although it may be of substantially the same cross sectional configuration as hopper` 1, the side walls 41 may be variously inclined as desired. The bottom wall 41 is inclined from one side wall downwardly toward the other side wall and is extended beyond the outer side of such wall a distance greater than will be the angle of repose of ashes or other material contained in the hopper and free to flow out of the hopper through an opening 42 in the side wall of the hopper above the extended Vlower end 43 of the pottom wall 41.

A suitable sluice trough 44 is disposed below the lower end of the extended part 43 of Ywall 41 to catch and deflect into the trough material moving oft-he lower end of extended portion 43 of wall 41.

lVith construction of this character the hopper maybe partially or completely filled with material and retained therein by the extended portion 43 of`the bottom wall 41. Liquid introduced into thev hopper 40 so that itlwill flow along on the bottom Wall 41 will serve to wash material off the wall 43 ,intothe trough 44. Material so removed from the wall43 and the hopper may be conducted along the sluice trough 44 to a point of disposal partly by reason of considerable inclination of the trough 44 or' by Imeans of water under pressure discharged intothe trough 44 in a manner similar to that already described hereinabove.

It will be understood that for hoppers of certain construction or form, and for various ty es and kinds of contents it may be desirab e to employ in the primary nozzles a fluid other than water,

greatly for example air,

steam or other fluid for removing the material from the hoppers. Such variations are comprehended within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention as embodied in one type of apparatus and as practiced in connection with such an apparatus what I Patent is defined in what is claimed. It is to be understood that` various other forms of apparatus or modifications in the described form not amounting tov invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is likewise to be understood that` although I have described -my im' proved method in connection with the herein disclosed apparatus, 1it may be practiced with apparatus of various types and is not necessarily practiced in the type herein shown.

lVliat I claim is:

1. In hopper construction, in combination, a hopper having a bottomopening, means for controlling-the passage of material from the hopper through the said opening c-)mprising a plate adjustably inclined beneath the said opening, and a supplemental plate rotatably mounted to cooperate with the top surface of the said inclined plate in controlling' the passage of material through the said opening and means including a horizontally disposed trough and water under pressure Ior removing material passing through the said opening.

2. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening in the lower portion thereof, a wall having a top area greater than the said desire to secure by Letters opening and mounted below and in solid Y material retaining position with respect to the said opening, a trough disposed below the said opening and wall to receive solid material discharged from the hopper and over the wall, a rotatably mental wall cooperating with the said wall to retain solid material in the said hopper and opening, fluid means for discharging solid material from the hopper into the sait trough in/a small stream, and means in the trough to form a fluid conveyor 'having a high velocity for receiving andconducting away the said material as it is discharged into the trough.

3. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening in the lower portion thereof, means to retain solid material in the said hopper, a trough connected directly to the hopper and having a dividing wall common with the Said hopper, fluid means for discharginglmaterial from the said hopper into the said trough in a small stream, and means to form in the trough a fluid conveyor for receiving and carrying away said material as it is discharged into the trough. 4. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening, a trough disposed beneath the hopper and connected directly thereto, the hopper and trough having a common dividing wall in which the said discharge openings are formed, and means to form in the trough a fluid conveyor for receiving and carrying away solid material as it is discharged into the trough.

5. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening in its lower portion, a trough disposed beneath the hopper, there being a common dividing wall between the hopper and trough, means for periodically discharging solid material from the hopper into the trough', and means for periodically forming in the trough a fluid conveyor having a high velocity for receiving and conveying solid material as it is discharged into the trough.

6. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening in its lower portion, a trough 'disposed beneath the hopper to receive material discharged from the hopper, there being a common dividing wall between the hopper and trough, movable means for controllably retaining solid material in the hopper and means to form inthe trough a fluid conveyor having a high Velocity for receiving and conveying solid material as it is discharged into the trough.

7. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewithA to receive solid material therefrom and` having a discharge openingin its lower portion, a trough' disposed beneath the hopper to receive material discharged from the hopper, there being a common dividing wall between the hopper and trough', an inclined plate disposed to retain solid material in the hopper, fluid means to discharge solid material over the plate and means to form in the trough a fluid conveyor having a high velocity for receiving and conveying soli-d material as it is dischargedinto the trough.

8. In combination with a furnace, a hopper associated therewith to receive solid material therefrom and having a discharge opening in the lower portion thereof, a

trough disposed beneath the hopper to receive solid material discharged therefrom, a common dividing. wall between the hopper and trough provided with an opening, a movable closure therefor, andaneans to form in the trough a fluid conveyor having a high velocity for receiving and conveying swolidfmaterial as it is discharged through the opening in the common dividing wall into the trough.

9. In' hopper construction, the combination of a hopper having a discharge opening, means extending beneath said opening and associated with the hopper to support solid material in the hopper, supplemental movable means cooperating with the first said means, and hydraulic means for moving solid material off the first said means when the said supplen'iental means is moved away therefrom.

10. In hopper construction, the combination of a hopper having a discharge opening, a main plate extending beneath said opening and associated with the hopper to support solid material in the hopper, a supplemental movable plate cooperating with the main plate, hydraulic means for moving material olf the main plate when the supplemental plate is moved away therefrom, and means for conducting the said material from the main plate to a place of disposal.

11. In hopper construction, the combination of a hopper having a discharge opening, a main plate extending beneath said opening and associated with the hopper to support solid material in the hopper, a supplemental movable plate cooperating with the main plate, hydraulic means for moving material oif the main plate when the supplemental plate is in open position, and a sluiceway provided with means for producing a fluid conveyor to receive material moving off' the main plate and to conduct it to a place of disposal.

12. The improved method of handling the incombustible residues resulting from the combustion of fuel in a fuel burningfurnace which comprises accumulating in the hopper of a fuel burning furnace the incombustible residues resulting, during a considerable period of time, from the combustion of fuel in such a furnace, and then, in a relatively-short period of time as compared with such period of accumulation, removing the said residues from the hopper and transporting them to a place of disposal in steps lncludlng first, forming a swlftly moving liquid conveyor under substantially atmospheric pressure and only artia'lly filling its conduit, and second, emp oying fluid means y steps including first, forming a swiftly moving, substantially horizontal, liquid conveyor under substantially atmospheric ressure and only partially filling its conuit, and second, hydraulically bringing the accumulated residues in small amounts following one another in close succession onto the liquid conveyor by which the mediately transported to a place o disposal.

14. The improved method of handling -the incombustible residues resulting from the combustion of fuel in a fuel burningfurnace which com rises accumulating in the hop er of a fuel urning furnace the incom- 20 bustible residues resulting during a considare im.

erable period of time, from the combustion of fuel in such a furnace, and then, in a relativel short period of time as compared with suc period of accumulation, removing the said residues from the hopper and transorting them to a vplace of disposal in steps including first, forming a swiftly liquid conveyor under substantiall atmospheric pressure and only partially lling its conduit, and second, hydraulically bringing the accumulated residues in small amounts following one another in close succession approximating a continuous liquid stream onto the liquid conveyor by which tlxey are immediately transported to a place o disposal. 4

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature this 12th day of December, 1923.

FRANK B. ALLEN.

moving 

